After a short break, Aoko returned to the classroom to continue her exams.
With subjects like mathematics, at the current difficulty level of Misaki High's exams, Aoko could write down the correct answers with her eyes closed. She spent roughly a third of the allotted time finishing the entire paper—or rather, most of the time she spent answering questions was used on writing the answers out.
Subjects like chemistry, which she had not been particularly proficient in during her "previous life," were among the few that required Aoko to spend some time memorizing and studying. But with the boost from her high Intelligence attribute, high school-level chemistry fundamentals posed no difficulty at all for her.
Some might ask: didn't the field of magecraft have alchemy? Why did Aoko still need to study chemistry separately?
That was because true alchemy mostly followed logical principles different from those of chemistry—what were known as "occult theories." Aoko had once been very curious about how gold, a heavy element produced only during stellar collapse, could be created through alchemy.
No matter how incomprehensible the remnants of Mystery on the surface of a planet might be, once one left the ground and entered the cosmic scale, all of it became meaningless. So Aoko had ultimately guessed that Earth's alchemists were actually using some kind of "substitution" magecraft, exchanging specific metals for gold located somewhere on the planet to achieve the so-called effect of turning stone into gold.
The reason it had not reached the level of "magic" was because mages were really just cutting corners, Aoko thought arrogantly.
Having slipped out of the exam room early, Aoko went alone to the school cafeteria and enjoyed her lunch. Although the cafeteria food could only be called mediocre, Aoko still ate with relish. She ordered a bowl of beef udon, sat alone in a corner of the cafeteria, and ate while pondering the spell she had newly acquired during her morning meditation.
Like the Evocation spell Explosive Emerald, Sapphire Ward would consume an expensive gemstone each time it was used. Aoko did not know whether artificial gemstones could be used as substitutes. Otherwise, spending that much money every time she cast the spell would really be a loss.
Though Aoko was confident in her ability to make money and would not end up in the same predicament as Rin Tohsaka, obtaining cheap and useful spellcasting materials was still a good thing.
The udon had a decent texture. By the time Aoko was nearly finished eating, other students had gradually begun arriving at the cafeteria.
Just as Aoko finished her udon and was preparing to leave, a boy sat down in the seat across from her.
Aoko looked up and nearly laughed out loud. Wasn't that Tsukiji Tobimaru?
His usually impeccably combed-back hair was somewhat disheveled now. He wore a listless expression and heavy dark circles beneath his eyes as the student council vice president gazed at Aoko with resentment.
"President, you're not going to run off after today's exams, are you?" Tsukiji Tobimaru asked.
"What do you mean, run off?" Aoko said with some dissatisfaction. "This is called putting the right people to the right use! Those with ability should take on more responsibility. Vice President Tsukiji is so good at handling the student council's daily affairs, so naturally he should bear a little more of the burden."
"Then shouldn't you be the one staying in the student council office to work?" Tsukiji Tobimaru said viciously. "Do you know how I've survived these past few days? I've had to prepare for exams while dealing with student council work. I'm not like some person with the highest deviation score who can get perfect marks on every exam!"
"Ah! President Aoko, Vice President Tsukiji!" A crisp, cheerful voice rang out from afar. Aoko looked up and saw that it was the student council treasurer, Kumari Kanoka.
Carrying her food, she jogged over. She first glanced at Vice President Tsukiji Tobimaru, then gave the president seated across from him, Aoko, a furtive look. Then, without hesitation, she sat down beside Tsukiji Tobimaru.
Aoko had long known that Kumari Kanoka had been secretly in love with the handsome Vice President Tsukiji Tobimaru. But Tsukiji Tobimaru had also been one of the first people at school who had intended to confess his feelings to Aoko. Before he could act, however, he had unfortunately witnessed Aoko ruthlessly rejecting every boy and girl who sent her love letters. He had wisely stopped himself and abandoned that relationship before it had even begun.
Later, during their work together in the student council, the closer Tsukiji Tobimaru got to Aoko, the more he came to understand her true nature. She was someone who fundamentally belonged to a different world from him. He discovered that although Aoko was usually polite and refined, beneath that perfect mask lay arrogance and indifference toward others.
It was not the lofty superiority born from status or wealth, but rather a disdain Aoko, as a human being, held for others in some biological sense.
Tsukiji Tobimaru had doubted his own judgment. After all, no matter what, you, Aoko Aozaki, and I, Tsukiji Tobimaru, are both human, aren't we? But perhaps it was all merely his misunderstanding, because he felt that Aoko herself had not even noticed anything wrong with the way she treated others.
Perhaps, in Aoko Aozaki's eyes, Tsukiji Tobimaru was no different from any ordinary student she happened to meet on campus, or even the flowers and grass by the roadside. This understanding of reality finally calmed Tsukiji Tobimaru down and made him let go of his feelings for Aoko Aozaki.
Tsukiji Tobimaru had calmed down, but the student council treasurer had not. Kumari Kanoka had liked Tsukiji Tobimaru for many years. She had even begun this one-sided love during middle school.
When she learned that Tsukiji Tobimaru had given up pursuing Aoko, Kumari Kanoka's maidenly heart, which had nearly withered away, immediately sprang back to life. She promptly applied for the student council treasurer position. After passing the assessment Aoko had set, the petite beauty successfully joined Misaki High's student council.
In Kumari Kanoka's eyes, the vice president worked so hard because he wanted to please that Aozaki president who skipped school every other day! That man must still have feelings for Aoko Aozaki. She had to keep a close eye on him!
However, Kumari Kanoka also understood that Aoko's interest in Tsukiji was not even as great as her interest in Kumari Kanoka herself, so she had never held any hostility toward her president. After all, anyone would like a beauty of Aoko's caliber.
Thus, whenever Kumari Kanoka saw Tsukiji Tobimaru sitting together with Aoko, like now, she would immediately come over.
"You two go ahead and eat," Aoko said, winking at Kumari Kanoka. "I have something to take care of, so I won't keep you two company."
With that, Aoko picked up her tray and left her seat.
"Hey!" Tsukiji Tobimaru hurriedly called out. "Don't run off after school, President! The student council work is impossible to finish!"
Aoko did not even turn her head. She merely waved her hand and left the cafeteria.
I left you precious time alone together, young man and young lady. Do your best, Aoko thought.
Before you continue